Every year, I always look forward to Frenzy Presents hosted by HCC Frenzy at the HarperCollins Toronto office. I don’t have a lot of bookish friends in my area so when you have a day dedicated to inviting a bunch of book bloggers, feeding them A+ snacks, and talking to them about upcoming releases? It’s like going to the bookstore with an infinite credit card. (Ok, I actually don’t know what that feels like but I can imagine)

I honestly don’t know where half the year has gone, but it’s that time of the year where Fall Releases are APPROACHING and I’m excited to tell you all about them. This batch in particular feels like there’s something for everyone so without further ado, here’s a list of upcoming books you can cozy up with a blanket as summer draws to a close:

How far would you go to change humanity's fate?

Jared Cartwright has spent the last two years delving into the twisted, scarred wastelands of an earth ravaged by nuclear war. The rich and powerful have taken to the oceans and skies on floating utopias, escaping destruction and leaving the rest of humanity to fend off the mutated creatures that roam the earth.

To face his new reality, Jared must become an apex predator if he hopes to survive. He must evolve beyond human limitations to confront those that left mankind to die.

Jared's quest takes a new turn when he discovers dragons are real.

I received a free copy of the audiobook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

I haven’t read much LitRPG, so when the opportunity came to review the audiobook Radioactive Evolution I was looking forward to it. I know how narration can make or break a book for people and I’m happy to report that the narrators did a great job with this one. I didn’t have trouble understanding what was being said and the narration fit well with the story. Radioactive Evolution feels like a video game and I loved watching the story unfold through the eyes of our main characters, Jared (human) and Scarlet (dragon).

What I enjoyed most about this book was the idea of the characters being able to level up after fighting enemies and gaining nanotechnology that allows them to divvy it up to increase strength, mental capacity, or regeneration. I also found Jared and Scarlet’s relationship quite interesting, since they have a special bond. And can I just say… for someone who’s read about dragons in books multiple times, I loved how massive Scarlet was. Imagine Godzilla and just, wow. That’s terrifying and brilliant all at once.

Some things didn’t work as well for me though. While Jared and Scarlet’s relationship was explained, I sometimes found their interactions a bit overdone. I also found a lot of things explained in general. I know this is part of the worldbuilding and sharing the knowledge with readers, but I would have loved more show than tell for parts of the book. Another thing I struggled with was the pacing. Even though things were happening one after another, I found that I just wasn’t as engaged in the story. It wasn’t bad per se, but I didn’t have the urge to keep going when a chapter ended. This is just my experience and preference of course and I can see other readers having no problem with things I mentioned.

Overall Radioactive Evolution opened my eyes to the fascinating world of LitRPG. It was fun and interesting and I think gamers will particularly love it!

A heartwarming story of friendship, loss, and finding your way home from debut author/illustrator Mai K. Nguyen!

Willow loves the woods near her house. They’re calm and quiet, so different from her own turbulent emotions, which she keeps locked away. When her emotions get the better of her one day, she decides to run away into the woods.

There, she meets Pilu, a lost tree spirit who can’t find her way back home—which turns out to be the magnolia grove Willow’s mom used to take her to. Willow offers to help Pilu, and the two quickly become friends.

But the journey is long, and Pilu isn’t sure she’s ready to return home yet—which infuriates Willow, who’s determined to make up for her own mistakes by getting Pilu back safely. As a storm rages and Willow’s emotions bubble to the surface, they suddenly take on a physical form, putting both girls in danger… and forcing Willow to confront her inner feelings once and for all.

I received a free copy of the ebook from the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

There’s nothing I don’t love about Pilu of the Woods. First, Mai K Nguyen’s art is completely adorable and a joy to look at. I took my time reading this book because I wanted to appreciate the artistry that went into it and if you consider yourself a lover of visual arts, this one’s for you.

Willow, our main character, often keeps her emotions bottled up. When she gets into an argument with her sister one day, Willow runs away from home and into the forest where she meets Pilu, a young, distraught tree spirit. Willow and the tree spirit have quite a few things in common: they both ran away from home after fighting with their family. Hearing Pilu’s story helps Willow reflect on her personal situation. As she comforts Pilu, Willow simultaneously sees her own struggles and actions in a new light.

“…but are you gonna just hide here until the bad things go away… all alone?”

Watching Willow and Pilu’s friendship develop in a short amount of time was so precious to me. I love how they connected with each other, and encouraged one another, all while having fun as kids exploring the forest.

I recommend Pilu of the Woods to readers of all ages. It’s a great reminder that it’s okay not to be okay, that just because we can’t see something, it doesn’t mean it’s not important. Willow struggled with what she called ‘angry little monsters’ in her head, and how she sometimes lets them take over and cause her to lash out at those she loves.

“They keep growing and growing while you’re not looking… they can make your mind all hot and foggy. And then… before you know it… the little monsters aren’t so little anymore.”

This wonderful story reminded me that everything leaves a mark: our words, our actions, our memories, and how we have to be careful not to let them hurt those around us. With Pilu’s help, Willow starts to realize that ignoring those ‘monsters’ isn’t the best way to deal with them and she has to face them head on… and listen.

We all need friends who help us be a bit braver and who’ll tell us it’s okay to cry sometimes, while holding our hand as we find our way back home. Pilu of the Woods is one of the most heartfelt and vulnerable stories I’ve ever read, and one I’m bound to read over and over again.

I’ve been out of the reviewing game for soooo long even writing mini reviews feels foreign to me. I’ve also been behind my reviews because life’s been so busy since March buuuuut I’m trying to get back to my bookish life so let’s DO THIS. 😎 (Also please bear with me cause I’m rusty LOL)

I received a free copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

Imagine the earth in 1000 AD and what it must have been like when the Inuit first encounter the Vikings. Two clashing cultures with different gods fighting to survive in the hostile environment of the frozen tundra.

Above all else, Jordanna Max Brodsky is a master storyteller. I was immediately transported to this time and place in history within the first pages of her book and the amount of research she’s done to honour the Inuit past is eminent. Brodsky weaved an atmospheric tale with magic, culture, heart, and grit and I’m in awe of it. Her worldbuilding was incredible and I felt, heard, and saw life and death in the arctic.

There are few sounds at night on the frozen sea besides the roar of the wind. No plants to rustle, no waves to crash upon the shore, no birds to caw. The white owl flies on hushed wings. The white fox walks with silent tread. Even Inuit move as softly as spirits, the snow too hard to yield and crunch beneath our boots. We hear little, but what we do hear is vital: the exploding breath of a surfacing seal, the shift and crack of drifting ice. But in the forest there is always sound. The trees, even in their shrouds of snow, are alive, and their voices—groans, creaks, screams—never cease.

This story begins with Omat, a young angakkuq (shaman) born with the spirit of her father. Omat is raised as a man to follow her grandfather’s footsteps in working with the spirits of the land, sea, and sky to guide and protect her people. As an Inuk with a man’s soul and a woman’s body, Omat deals with her own struggles of gender, sexuality, and identity. She’s neither fully man or fully woman and must learn to navigate her world as the ‘third gender’ of the Inuit. I absolutely loved reading about this part of Omat’s journey and see her not only deal with her own doubts/questions, but also fight through traditional male and female roles among her family and strangers unaware of her peoples’ customs.

I am no longer scared of being a woman — it doesn’t make me any less a man. I am both. I am neither. I am only myself.

When Omat meets Brandr, a Viking warrior, chaos breaks out. With him comes a group of Vikings eager to conquer and battle for glory. While Brandr comes from a society that finds joy in war and destruction, he wants to get away from it. As fate would have it, Omat and Brandr must work together despite their differences and I enjoyed seeing the changes each of their characters brought to the other.

All of us had been loosely stitched together from mismatched parts. An Inuk with a man’s spirit and a woman’s body. Three animals caught between dog and wolf. A stranger with a giant’s frame and a man’s heart. Yet somehow, we were becoming a seamless whole.

One of my favourite things about this book was how rich it was in Inuit and Norse mythology. There were Inuit spirits like Malina (Sun), Taqqiq (Moon), Singarti (Wolf), and Uqsuralik (Bear) and there were Norse gods like Odin, Thor, and Loki. I never thought I’d see all of them in one story and it did not disappoint!

The Wolf in the Whale is a beautiful yet melancholic book. Its magic comes with events that are painful to read and hard to swallow. There is rape, physical violence (human, animal), death and gore. But with it also comes hope, family, and friendship. It’s not a story to be rushed (it personally took me a while to read), but the journey is worth it. The Wolf in the Whale is one of the best standalone fantasy novels I’ve read in some time. Steeped in mythology, history, and heart, it’s bound to captivate many readers to come.